The Persistence of the Sound

This summer I was living in a rural region of China. One hot day, a construction work stood holding a coupe of turtles, seemingly lost in thought. The turtles’ shells were so dry that they had chipped and curled up at the edges. With the intention of releasing them the next morning, I decided to buy them. Early the next day, I head a loud crashing sound! Startled, I raced to the kitchen, only to find out that one of the turtles had somehow flipped over the bucket and collided with a ceramic Buddhist sculpture. I was upset that my figurine had broken, but eve more saddened by the turtle’s apparent fear. In that moment, it felt as if the Buddha, the turtle, and I were all equally perplexed by the sudden, persistent crash.